R&B singer R. Kelly denies videotaping sex with teen

New York  R&B; superstar R. Kelly, who has been accused of having sex with an underage girl on videotapes that have circulated across the country, denied the allegations in a television interview on Wednesday.

"I've done a lot of wrong things in my life, but I'm not a criminal, I'm not a monster," the 33-year-old said during a taped interview on "BET Tonight with Ed Gordon."

The Grammy-winning singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, is known for inspirational hits such as "I Believe I Can Fly," but also raunchy ones like "Feelin' On Yo Booty." He has kept a low profile since he was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl and taping it.

Videotapes purportedly showing Kelly having sex with the girl, along with other women, have been sold on city streets across the nation, and on the Internet. The person on the tapes bears a striking resemblance to the singer.

Police in Chicago, where Kelly lives, said they were investigating the allegations.

In addition, Kelly also has settled two lawsuits brought by women who accused him of having sex with them when they were minors. Documents also have shown that Kelly was married to the late singer Aaliyah, his former protege, when she was just 15. The marriage was later annulled.

A third lawsuit was filed recently by a Chicago woman who accused Kelly of impregnating her when she was a teen-ager and forcing her to have an abortion.

Kelly, the married father of two children, said he had settled the first two lawsuits on advice of lawyers and denied the allegations in the third lawsuit. He said he was not the person featured on the videotapes.